Brake beam supports



Feb. 17, 1959 s. F. COUCH BRAKE BEAM SUPPORTS Filed Nov. 50. 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 VFIGJI Inventor:

Glenn E Couch his Attorney Feb. 17, 1959 G. F. coUcH BRAKE BEAM SUPPORTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor: Glenn E Couch FIG. 6

Filed Nov. 30, 1955 h is Attorney United States Patent v asiaszs Patented Feb, 1?, 1959;

titles 2,873,823 BRAKE BEAM SUPPORTS Glenn F. Couch, Bergen, N. Y., assignor to The Symington-Gould Corporation, Depew, N. Y., a corporation of Maryland Application November 30, 1955, Serial No. 550,013

7 Claims. (Cl. 188-209) so as to ensure that the shoes, instead of riding up on the flanges or over the opposite edges of the rims of the wheels, as would otherwise be their tendency, will have full bearing with the rims when the brakes are applied.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a railway truck of the character described improved means carried by a journal box for moving a side frame-sup ported brake shoe laterally in correspondence with lateral movement of the journal box relative to the side frame.

An additional object of the invention is to provide in a railway truck of the character described an improved brake hanger support for suspending the brake beams and associated shoes from a side frame whereby the brake shoes are enabled to move laterally relative to the side frames.

Other objects and advantages will appear hereinafter in the detailed description, be particularly pointed out in the appended claims and be illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of an end portion of a railway truck embodying a preferred form of the brake beam support of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the truck of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken along the lines 33 of Figure l;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary elevational view on an enlarged scale, taken from inside the side frame, of the preferred form of brake hanger support;

' Figure 5 is an end elevational view of the support of Figure 4-; 1

Figure 6 is a vertical sectional view taken along the lines 6-6 of Figure 4;

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view taken along the lines 77 of Figure 4; and

Figure 8 is a vertical. sectional view taken along the lines 88 of Figure 5.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, in which like reference characters designate like parts, the improved brake beam support of the present invention is designed for application to a railway truck in which a pedestaltype side frame 1 is resiliently supported, by interposed supporting springs 2, on and movable both vertically and laterally relative to a journal box 3, only an end portion of the truck sufiicient for understanding. of the invention having been shown. Although in such trucks it has been proposed to carry a brake mechanism on the journal boxes, it is generally more satisfactory to support it on the side frame, whether the brake, beams are hangersupported or, as are those of the-so-called unit'type, carried in guides. p

The brake beams 4 of the illustrated embodiment,

through which braking forces are applied to brake shoes 5 carried thereby, are of the hanger-supported type and, although the invention is equally applicable whether a single brake beam or a pair of opposed brake beams are employed for each pair of wheels, the latter form, known as clasp brakes, is here shown. Each of the brake beams 4 is shown supported at either end by a conventional U-shaped brake hanger 6, the spaced legs 7 of which are connected to the opposite sides of the associated brake head 8, the brake hanger being suspended through its closed upper end 9 from a brake hanger bracket 10 rigid and preferably cast integrally with the pedestal type side frame 1. With the illustrated clasp brakes, two such brackets are required for each of the wheels 11, one disposed between the journal box opening 12 and the window opening 13 for the associated bolster 14 and the other beyond the opposite side of the journal box opening. So that the brake shoes 5 normally will be in lateral alignment with the rim 15 of the associated wheel 11, both of the brackets 10 are instanding from the inboard side of the side frame, the inner bracket being connected through an intervening web 16 to the compression mem ber 17 of the side frame and the outer bracket being connected in like fashion to the inturned projecting end 18 with which a side frame for hanger-suspended clasp brakes is conventionally provided.

Each of the brake hanger brackets 10 is of substan tially C-shape, having a pair of vertically spaced, substantially parallel upper and lower walls or jaws 19 and 20 connected or joined at their inner ends by an upstanding end wall 21, the several walls together defining a substantially rectangular seat or pocket 22, open transversely of the side frame, for receiving the closed end of the brake banger 6. As do conventional brake hanger brackets, each of the illustrated brackets opens longitudinally of the side frame towards the associated wheel 11 and its upper and lower walls 19 and 20 are inclined upwardly towards its open end, this end being closed when the brake hanger is in place by suitable removable means, such as the illustrated bolt 23. However, unlike its association with conventional brackets, the brake hanger 6 does not bear directly on the lower wall 20 of the bracket 10. Instead, the brake hanger is carried by a trunnion 24 having a bore 25, preferably circular in cross section and directed transversely of the side frame, in which is contained and seats the closed upper end of the hanger. To permit assembly, the trunnion is split longitudinally through its center along a plane substantially parallel to the jaws 19 and 20 of the bracket 10 into upper and lower parts 26 to permit assembly with the brake hanger. Incidentally to hold these parts together, but more importantly to afford lateral motion of the trunnion relative to the side frame, the opposite longitudinal ends of extremities of the trunnion are formed as stub axles 27 on each of which fits a roller 28, the fit being sufiiciently loose to permit the rollers to rotate readily relative to the trunnion.

It has been mentioned. that the bore 25 in the trunnion 24 in which the closed end of the hanger 6 seats, is circular in cross-section. As will be noted from Figure 8, that the bore axially is not cylindrical but is arcuately convex or crowned in longitudinal section and flared at either end and that, while having upper and lower convex surfaces 29 coradial with the mid-portion of the bore for full hearing when in contact therewith, the closed end of the hanger contained in the bore is somewhat flattened at either side and of less diameter than the bore. The clearance between the bore and the contained portion of the hanger so provided, has as its purpose to enable the hanger to rock transversely or angle vertically to a limited degree in the trunnion, this and the end clearance and consequent loose fit provided between the bolt 23 and gar ens '2 o adjacent of the rollers 23, with resultant limited horizontal angleability of the trunnion 24 relativeto the pocket 22, cooperating to permit limited universal angling of the hanger relative to the pocket. Accordingly, the hanger not only can pivot relative to the trunnion as the brakes are applied and released .and roll laterally with the trunnion in correspondence withv any lateral motion of the wheel 11 relative to the side frame 1, but also enables the associated brake shoe to angle with the wheel on any angling of the latter relative to the side frame.

So that it will not interfere with easy rolling of the rollers 23, the intermediate or body portion 3% of the trunnion containing the bore '25 is normally held by the rollers above the bottom wall of the bracket. However, so that the trunnion and bottom wall may be in direct engagement when the brakes are applied and thus relieve the axles 27 on the trunnion of undue stress, the rollers ride or are supported on yieldable means in the form of rubber" blocks 31, one underlying each of the rollers and seating in a cavity 32 in the bottom wall of the pocket and both yielding on application of the brakes to permit the trunnion to go solid against the bottom wall. To minimize wear, wear plates 33 are interposed between the rollers and the rubber blocks 31, the latter, in addition to affording the desired normal spacing, also serving to cushion the hanger-supporting assembly from road shocks and thus further minimizing wear.

While enabling the brake beams 4 and associated brake shoes 5 to move laterally relative to the side frame sufficiently to accommodate lateral motion between the side frame and the wheel 11, the hanger support, to be etfective, requires cooperating means for moving the brake beams laterally with the wheel. Such means is here provided by a pair of rigid horns or arms 34 fixed as by riveting or bolting to the journal box 3 and projecting diagonally from either side thereof to overlap in close adjacency the contiguous ends of the brake beams. These horns conveniently may be formed of fiat stock each having spaced end portions 35 extending parallelly, longitudinally of the side frame, one connected as by riveting to the journal box and the other overlapping the end of the brake beam, and an inbent or diagonal connecting or intermediate portion 36. With the wheel 11 and journal box 3 forced by the connecting axle 36 to move in unison, any lateral motion or even angling of the wheel relative to the side frame will produce like movement in the horns 34, thus enabling the illustrated pair of horns, together with the cooperating pair (not shown) at the other side of the truck to engage and move or shift the brake beams 4 in correspondence with movement of the wheel relative to the side frame. As a result, while sufiicient clearance is provided between each horn and the confronting leg 7 of the associated hanger to avoid interference with pivoting of the latter, the horns at all times will maintain the brake shoes 5 within the lateral limits of and have full bearing with the rim 15 of the wheel.

From the above detailed description, it will be apparent that there has been provided an improved brake beam support for a railway truck by which each brake shoe is maintained at all times Within the lateral limits of the associated wheel, despite movement of the wheel relative to the side frame, by which the shoe is supported, the arrangement not only accommodating relative lateral movement of the wheel and side frame but any relative angling as well. It should be understood that the described and disclosed embodiment is merely exemplary of the invention and that all modifications are intended to be included which do not depart from either the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

Having describedmy'invention, I claim:

1. In a railway truck, the combination with a journal box, a side frame resiliently supported thereon and movable vertically and laterally relative thereto, a wheel movable with said journal box relative to said side frame and a brake beam carrying a brake shoe engageable with said wheel, of means carried by said side frame and connecting said brake beam thereto for lateral movement therebetween, and rigid means fixed against movement to said journal box and engageable with said brake beam for moving said brake beam horizontally in correspondence with movement of said wheel relative to said side frame.

2. In a railway truck, the combination with a journal box, a side frame resiliently supported thereon and movable vertically and laterally relative thereto, a wheel movable with said journal box relative to said side frame and a brake beam carrying a brake shoe engageable with said wheel, of a bracket rigid with said side frame, means carried by said bracket and rollable laterally of said side frame, means connecting said brake beam to said rollable means for supporting said brake beam on said side frame, and rigid means carried by said journal box and engageable with an end of said brake beam for moving said brake shoe laterally in correspondence with lateral movement of said wheel relative to said side frame.

3. In a railway truck, the combination with a journal box, a side frame resiliently supported thereon and movable vertically and laterally relative thereto, a wheel movable with said journal box relative to said side frame and a brake beam carrying a brake shoe engageable with said wheel, of a bracket rigid with said side frame, a memher in and rollable transversely of said bracket, a brake hanger carried by said rollable member and suspending said brake beam therefrom, and rigid means fixed to said journal 'box and engageable with said brake beam for moving said brake shoe laterally in correspondence with lateral movement of said wheel relative to said side frame.

in a railway truck, the combination with a journal box, a side frame resiliently supported thereon and movable vertically and laterally relative thereto, a wheel movable with said journal box relative to said side frame and a brake beam carrying a brake shoe engageable with said wheel, of a bracket rigid with said side frame, a split trunnion in said bracket, roller means on said tinnnion for rolling thereof transversely of said side frame, a brake hanger pivotable relative to and carried by said trunnion for suspending said brake beam therefrom, and rigid means fixed to said journal box and engageable with said brake beam for moving said brake shoe laterally in correspondence with lateral movement of said wheel relative to said side frame.

5. In a railway truck, the combination with a journal box, a side frame resiliently supported thereon and movable vertically and horizontally relative thereto, a wheel movable with said journal box relative to said side frame and a brake beam carrying a brake shoe engageable with said wheel, of a bracket rigid with said side frame, a split trunnion in said bracket, a pair of rollers on said trunnion for rolling thereof transversely of said side frame, a brake hanger pivotally carried by and angleable horizontally relative to said trunnion for suspending said brake beam therefrom, and rigid means fixed to said journal box and engageable with said brake beam for moving said brake shoe horizontally in correspondence with horizontal movement of said wheel relative to said side frame.

6. In a railway truck, the combination with a journal box, a side frame resiliently supported thereon and movable vertically and laterally relative thereto, a wheel movable with said journal box relative to said side frame and a brake beam carrying a brake shoe engageable with said wheel, of a bracket rigid with said side frame, a split trunnion in said bracket, a pair of rollers on said trunnion for rolling thereof transversely of said side frame, a brake hanger carried by and pivotal relative to said trunnion for suspending said brake hanger therefrom, and yieldable means in said bracket and underlying said rollers for normally supporting an intermediate portion of said trunnion above a bottom wall of said bracket, said 'yieldable means on application of brakes yielding to enable said portion of said trunnion to bear solidly against said bottom wall.

7. In a railway truck, the combination with a journal box, a side frame resiliently supported thereon and movable vertically and laterally relative thereto, a wheel movable with said journal box relative to said side frame and a brake beam carrying a brake shoe engageable with said wheel, of a bracket rigid with said side frame, a split trunnion in said bracket having a bore substantially circular in cross section, rollers on ends of said trunnion for rolling thereof transversely of said side frame, said rollers loosely fitting said bracket for limited horizontal angling thereof relative thereto, and a brake hanger carried by and loosely fitting in the bore of said trunnion,

said brake hanger being connected to and connecting said brake beam to said bracket and through said trunnion being shiftable laterally and angleable universally relative to said side frame.

References Cited in the file of this natent UNITED STATES PATENTS 106,052 Goodman Aug. 2, 1870 1,073,038 Goodknight Sept. 9, 1913 1,998,323 Kjolseth Apr. 16, 1935 2,199,128 Crossman Apr. 30, 1940 

